Why the damage from the alleged corruption portrayed in recently released video is bigger than it seems.
By Andi Balla
A video released this week showing alleged corruption at the highest level of the Albanian government has been met with understandable dismay in political circles, the population at large and those in the international community interested in Albanian affairs.
The video appears to show Deputy Prime Minister Ilir Meta order then Economy Minister Dritan Prifti to fix public tenders and hire party supporters in return for large kickbacks and other favors.
The video and its audio are of poor quality, but it have the backing of Mr. Prifti, who says they are authentic. He and Mr. Meta are now enemies, and it is likely Mr. Prifti who leaked the video, which was shown in the Fiks Fare investigative television program.
Mr. Meta says he has done nothing against the law and is waiving his parliamentary immunity in order to be investigated properly. He says the video is deceiving and his words have been misinterpreted. Mr. Meta’s supporters, including Prime Minister Sali Berisha, say the video has been doctored.
Whether the video is real, misinterpreted or doctored, the alleged staggering corruption portrayed in it will reinforce the idea among Albanians that their politicians are corrupt, and the population is powerless to do anything about it.
Mr. Berisha, who came to power on an anti-corruption platform and is notorious for his long-winded speeches, did not even say a word about the matter at the regular government meeting the day after the video became public. He must feel powerless too. The alliance with Mr. Meta’s party is the only thing keeping the government together.
What comes next is important. In the likeliest scenario, prosecutors will open an inquiry and call in those involved to answer questions. The television cameras will film them walking in and out of the prosecutors’ offices. Rhetoric will follow. Then, the case will quietly be shelved for one reason or another. Political pressure on the prosecutors will mean they really won’t have the guts to do their job properly. We say it is the likeliest scenario because it has happened several times in the past few years. Ministers get accused of corruption. There is an investigation. And nothing happens.
The biggest damage out of this is that corruption has become such a part of the Albanian way of life, most people won’t even be surprised if nothing happens. In fact, most Albanians probably won’t think that some of things seen in the video are even problematic. For example, we learn that the way to advance in Albanian civil service is to have political support in high places. Want to join the diplomatic core? It helps if your mother is a Supreme Court judge, as Mr. Meta allegedly says in the video.
Albanians are fed up with the politicians. The saddest part is the general sense that not even a democratic process can fix corruption in Albania. The feeling of powerlessness also comes from the fact that voting or supporting the political opposition won’t change things.
Just before the last parliamentary elections, a television reporter was interviewing random people asking them who they would vote for. “The people in power,” said one man. “If the opposition comes in, there will be an entirely new set of pockets to fill with bribes.”
